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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 2178229, member: 40"] Hey -- I actually agree with a lot of the positions you've taken in this thread, especially about the timing, the need to make a big splash in 2018, etc. It is also ridiculous to compare this guy to Gbinije, who was a McD's AA -- a better comparison [at least in terms of being a darkhorse, not in terms of game] might be Hakim. Here is some information about Hughes that might make you at least take a wait-and-see approach to how things play out. [LIST] [*]He was a multi-sport athlete who didn't focus on basketball until much later in his high school career, and didn't garner a ton of recruiting attention [*]He didn't play AAU ball [*]Our coaches literally weren't aware of him until very late in the recruiting game, after he played at our elite camp [*]Kid got exposure his senior year playing at a powerhouse program South Kent, but by then most coaches were involved with other prospects [*]He switched between multiple high schools, so keeping tabs on him up until that point may have been challenging for coaches [/LIST] Hughes has a nice stroke, is a big / strong athlete who could play the 2 or the 3. I will not argue that he did not shoot the ball that well at ECU during his freshman year. Many freshmen struggle shooting the ball their first season of playing college ball, but the tools are there. This kid reminds me of David Johnson in terms of size, body type, and athleticism. Now, will he prove to be that good of a player? Obviously, I don't know. But I don't think that this is a huge "settle" or a "reach," at least not in terms of the athletic ability and tools. Might we land better players in the class of 2018? That's certainly possible, and something that can't be debated in an informed way right now because we don't know how things will play out. The main concern I have is that we have a need to improve wing depth NOW with our three remaining slots in the class of 2017, because we need the depth for next year. If we land Ayala / Tucker --a big if right now -- and this is the third guy, I will have ZERO problem with it. If we don't land Ayala / Tucker, and bring in a guy who has to sit out -- well that might be good for down the road, but it won't help us next season and I'd be dreadfully concerned about next year's team. I don't want to divert too far off the main topic. Just wanted to provide some info about Hughes that might make you reevaluate what you state above. [/QUOTE]

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